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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. root — of a plant
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a music group
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. band — a ring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. root — of a word
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — the cause
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com